| Sure your Hyundai Sonata has received the U.S. | | | | ability to prevent upper leg injuries and the side |
| National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's | | | | test to consider how side air bags can protect |
| (NHTSA) top five-star crash test rating for front | | | | the driver's head, as well as consolidate the frontal |
| and side impacts last year. But will it and its top of | | | | and side crash ratings to create a single, |
| the line Hyundai parts fare when the government | | | | summary vehicle rating and consider offering a |
| raises the safety bar even higher? | | | | rating for rear crash protection. |
| The U.S. Department of Transportation has | | | | NHTSA would likewise provide a grade for crash |
| announced plans to revise its automobile crash | | | | avoidance technologies such as electronic stability |
| tests at the North American International Auto | | | | control, lane departure warnings and rear collision |
| Show in Detroit, perhaps in response to criticism | | | | avoidance systems. The agency has already |
| that too many cars have reached the highest | | | | proposed mandating stability control in all new |
| ranking of five stars over the past two years. | | | | vehicles by the 2012 model year. |
| According to Transportation Secretary Mary | | | | The new approach however, would maintain the |
| Peters, the National Highway Traffic Safety | | | | star system while using a letter grade for |
| Administration would seek changes to its New Car | | | | advanced technologies. A vehicle, for instance, |
| Assessment Program to strengthen frontal, | | | | could receive "an `A' under additional technologies |
| side-impact and rollover testing and measure new | | | | because the manufacturer has decided willingly to |
| crash avoidance technologies more commonly | | | | include some of these technologies," NHTSA |
| used in vehicles. | | | | Administrator Nicole Nason said. |
| "Now is the time for all of us to join together to | | | | Safety advocates have called for crash tests to |
| raise that safety bar even higher. We can never | | | | be more rigorous and to include higher speed |
| become complacent about saving lives," Peters | | | | crashes and larger impact vehicles. Adrian Lund, |
| said. | | | | president of the Insurance Institute for Highway |
| NHTSA conducts vehicle crash tests and rates | | | | Safety, said, "They need to do something that will |
| them on a scale of one to five stars _ with five | | | | accelerate vehicle design improvements," Lund |
| stars as the highest score _ to help consumers | | | | said. "If everyone gets four or five stars, that's |
| evaluate a vehicle's safety. | | | | not useful." |
| The proposal, outlined in a 26-page report, would | | | | NHTSA will hold a meeting on March 7 in |
| upgrade the frontal test to rate vehicles on their | | | | Washington to hear suggestions on the plan. |